Summer Tips

Capture the moisture:

Top-dress your planting beds with shredded hardwood mulch. It not only retains the moisture in the ground, it also acts as a weed barrier and gives your planting beds a fresh look for spring.

Watering and Plant Stress:

Monitor your landscape closely and make adjustments to watering times as needed. Shaded or protected areas may need less water than other zones, and you may even be able to water less frequently than seven days a week. Given the current drought conditions, we are recommending deep root watering of your trees and shrubs that may be showing signs of stress. Set your hose on a slow trickle at several locations under the canopy of the tree.

Schedule all cycles in early morning, so watering is complete by sunrise during the summer months. This avoids water lost to daytime evaporation and afternoon and evening winds. Evening watering cycles are not necessary for lawn health.

Water roses at the base of plants and avoid getting water on leaves to help prevent black spots.

Use a handheld hose to water brown spots.

Don’t water on windy or rainy days.

Wilting leaves, brown leaf edges, yellowing leaves, and lack of flowers are all signs of plant stress. To reduce the severity, try to do your planting during the spring or fall. Full-sun plants will show less signs of stress if several days of overcast skies follow their installation. Proper watering and soil conditions also make a difference.

For newly planted seed on your lawn, you should water just enough to keep the area moist, but not saturated for about two or three weeks, which is usually how long it takes for the seeds to germinate and get established.